Efficacy of low intensity, therapist-implemented Project ImPACT for increasing social communication skills in young children with ASD

ABSTRACT

Project ImPACT is a Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention (NDBI) for young children with ASD. Preliminary research supports its feasibility and efficacy as a parent-mediated intervention; however, its efficacy as a low-intensity, therapist-implemented intervention is unclear. A single-case, multiple-baseline design evaluated the effect of 2 h per week of therapist-implemented Project ImPACT on social engagement, language, and play in nine children with ASD. Language and play skills were targeted separately for five children and together for four children. Children increased their rates of social engagement and language when language or play was the sole target and when language and play were targeted together; however, gains in play skills were evident only when they were targeted separately. This study provides support for the efficacy of the Project ImPACT when implemented by therapists at a low intensity and suggests the way in which skills are targeted can affect child learning.

KEYWORDS:

• Autism spectrum disorder
• intervention
• preschool
• social communication

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the families and therapists who participated in this research. We are also grateful to the many research assistants who assisted with treatment and data collection. Original data and coding schemes are available upon request from the first author.

Declaration of interest

Brooke R. Ingersoll receives royalties from the sale of the curriculum under investigation in this study and donates them to the research.